As a health benefits consultant, I find the MidAtlantic Business Group on Health invaluable for two reasons; I establish relationships in a non-sales setting and I am exposed to advanced concepts and strategies that I can use for the benefit of my clients.

Bridges to Excellence Physician Reward Initiative

In response to MABGH demand, both Aetna and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield have incorporated Bridges to Excellence (BTE) into their physician rewards systems. Bridges to Excellence is a payment model that rewards the physicians for demonstrating excellence in processes and outcomes.

The model is based on these premises:

Care to patients needs to be improved: for example, diabetes patients receive all recommended care only about 50% of the time

Physicians should be rewarded on the basis of evidence-based performance standards, which are linked to savings.

Rewards systems should be standardized to prevent confusion and clutter.